Pokémon

In Generation II, Stantler didn’t evolve. It was one of those rare one-shot Pokémon (that isn’t Legendary, at least) that most players tend to overlook or forget about. And it stayed that way for a very, very long time. But then, 20 years, several generations, and hundreds of Pokémon later, Stantler finally (and unexpectedly) received a long overdue evolution in the form of Wyrdeer.

Wyrdeer is paler, shaggier, and bulkier than Stantler, with slightly more elaborate horns that remind me of protective talismans. With bushy eyebrows, a greying pelt, and a neck-ruff that looks like a full beard, this Pokémon is basically ‘Old Man Stantler’. At least it is now Normal/Psychic, with its hypnotising eyespot horns finally being acknowledged in its typing. 

Not just any old Stantler can evolve into Wyrdeer, though. As of this writing, it can only happen in Pokémon Legends: Arceus (the game where Wyrdeer was introduced), which takes place hundreds of years in the past, in a region then known as Hisui. Official lore states that Wyrdeer’s evolution is the result of Stantler that live in Hisui further developing their psychic powers. Perhaps the reason Stantler doesn’t evolve into Wyrdeer in the present day is that this Pokémon’s mystical abilities are not as strong as they used to be.

Wyrdeer has long been treasured by the Hisuian people of old, for whom it is indispensable. Garments made from the fur shed from its beard, tail, and legs are highly prized for their top-notch protection against the cold. It emits psychic energy from the orbs on its antlers, which is powerful enough to distort space; it can also create invisible barriers for protection. This Pokémon searches out safe paths by using its antlers like antennae, running at the head of its herd and leading young Stantler. Its sturdy legs allow it to gallop and dash across the land and jump over any obstacle in its way.

Whereas Stantler seems to be based at least partly on reindeer, I don’t think the same can be said for Wyrdeer. After digging around a bit, it looks like Wyrdeer is based on the sika deer. This species is more familiar to the Japanese than the reindeer because it lives throughout Japan. Over the centuries, it has also been introduced to other parts of the world, including where I live in England. In 1860, a pair of sika deer was added to the animal collection at London Zoo and proved popular with visitors. Soon, they were being imported from the Far East and added to country estates and deer parks throughout the UK. But these deer are excellent jumpers, and they proved hard to contain; soon, escapees had established populations in the wild throughout the country. There are now an estimated 12,000 sika deer in the UK, and I’ve been lucky enough to see a few of them myself.

Some aspects of Stantler may also have been inspired by sika deer, though it has more to do with its in-game location than anything else. The setting of Pokémon Gold and Silver, the games in which Stantler first appeared, is the region of Johto, based on the real-world Kansai region of Japan. The Pokémon town of Violet City is based on the Japanese city of Nara, which is famous for its tame sika deer – they’ve even become a popular tourist attraction. And where can Stantler be found in Pokémon Gold and Silver? Right outside Violet City, of course! This indicates that the Pokémon designers not only love weaving recognisable landmarks into the series’ maps, but they also sometimes do so with a region’s ecology as well.

The real-world basis for Hisui, the region where Wrydeer can be found, is the Japanese island of Hokkaido – and it is here that a particular breed of sika deer lives. Just like how Wyrdeer is a greyer, thicker take on Stantler, the Yezo breed of sika deer seems a bit more grizzled than the common variety, with a thicker pelt. And much like how the Hisuian people treasure Wyrdeer because its fur makes for useful clothing material, the Yezo sika deer is considered important to the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido – they are hunted for their meat and hide, the latter of which is used to make clothing.